Pages

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Duggar Book Process; Original Teen Mom Back; New Wipeout Obstacle

by Amy K. Bredemeyer
Recaps & [Commentaries] for "unscripted" shows this week include:19 Kids and Counting, Teen Mom, and Wipeout. Spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Monday:
Cake Boss (S04Exx): Episode 19 coming up.

Kate Plus Eight (S02Exx): Episode 11 coming up.

Tuesday:

19 Kids and Counting"Duggar Boys Day Out" (S07E06): We open up with Michelle and JimBob working on their second book. It'll include Josie's story and their family philosophy. Michelle seems to get what she wants when her mind is set on something. [this is kinda interesting. I wonder how often this plays out...] Joseph, JohnDavid, and JimBob went to help Josh out at a car auction. The place auctions off 500 cars in 4 hours! They went and looked through the cars first to get some understanding of their as-is statuses. We get a little insight as to how some people bid (nods, winks, etc.). [I enjoyed the collage of clips about Jackson. And he and Johannah really are adorable together!] JimBob took ALL of the Duggar boys to the new lot to start the conversion from taco restaurant to used car dealership. Jackson didn't have the attention span to work all day with the other kids, and asks to be dropped off at home before long. [to me, this episode just flew by. anyone else feel that way?]

Teen Mom "Taking it Slow" (S03E01): no real cues as to the time of year it is. Maci: Maci and Kyle got back together, since he missed Maci and Bentley. Maci is taking a break from work over the summer, and it seems Ryan has stopped paying child support. If he doesn't pay for 45 days, he could go to jail. [Maci's makeup is lighter now. I like it.] Macy goes to confront Ryan and he can't ask her aloud if Kyle is slow, so he texts her the question. [texting like that drives me crazy!] He's never met Kyle. Maci's bank made an error and everything's better now.Farrah: Farrah is waitressing, modeling, and going to culinary school. [busy!] She's still waiting on Social Security from Sophia's late father. Farrah wants breast implants and wants to take off work for two weeks. She asks for her mom's help in taking care of Sophia during the recovery. Her mom is concerned about the cost. Farrah is an A now and wants to be a mid-C, NOT a full-C. [I question choices like this. I have a hard time understanding why you'd want implants if you're not even getting a full-C...] Farrah's big on her boob-to-butt ratio. [I've never heard of this. maybe it's just big in the modeling world? or am I just a bit old to understand that's how things are judged these days?] She learns that saline implants would cost her $4700 and silicone gel implants would be $5700. [It's not clear what she picks in the end.] Farrah calls places to see about a loan for a breast augmentation, as she doesn't want to use her savings because of Sophia. [smart choice!] One bank will help out Farrah. Farrah's mom is still a bit worried about the surgery. Farrah's mom wants a will drawn up to help Sophia in case there are issues with the surgery. Her mom wants to be chosen as the guardian. Farrah chooses her mom and then her grandmother as the guardians of Sophia if anything happens. She goes to have her surgery and it goes well. She's in some pain afterward. Amber: Amber still hasn't finished high school. [so, um, what has she been doing? besides getting arrested, of course.] She's been going to counseling. [Amber's also wearing less makeup than she used to. but I feel she needs the makeup.] Amber and Chris are having problems. Amber and Gary are in couples counseling. Amber doesn't seem to be really open to the conversation at the therapist's office.Amber wants to work out things with Gary so she calls Chris. But he's upset and wants to see her so she drives off to talk with him a bit. Amber breaks up with Chris. Catelynn:Catelynn and her mom patched things up and Catelynn and Tyler both fell behind in school and didn't graduate on-time. [though it's not clear what they're doing to catch up at this point.] Someone tried to break into Catelynn's window and her brother's window. Catelynn's grandmother offered for her mom and her brother to live with her, but not Catelynn. Her mom declines the offer, at least in the beginning. Catelynn and Tyler are thinking of getting their own place. Catelynn calls her mom and tells her that she's thinking of living on her own and her mom supports the idea but reminds her of all the costs. Catelynn and Tyler go to tell his mom. He tells her that he feels like a loser because he's 18, doesn't have a job, and doesn't even do his own laundry. His mom tries to tell him that he's still a child but he disagrees. [interesting take. what exactly does Tyler's mom think he should be doing?]Thursday:

Wipeout"Wheel of Misfortune" (S04E20): The Qualifier features a new Wheel of Misfortune (clockwise spinning upright circle with four compartments that contestants have to get through to come to the "out" hole and get out through), then Driver's Ed (make your way across three platforms, each has a rotating steering wheel above it, and sometimes airbags pop out of them. plus the pedals can pop up at you), Big Balls (with a two-ball swinging motivator), Jiggalator (two curved platforms that shake as you try to get past them), and Double Barrel (a large oval that has two circles carved into it. Jump into one and then ride to get off at the other side). The first contestant can sweat on demand. [I've never heard of that one! I'll have to look that up at some point]. Even if you get through the Wheel of Misfortune, the platform to jump onto raises and drops sometimes. [gross dutch oven reference.] Next: Total Carnage... Everyone starts on one platform raised ten feet above the water. Make your way across ten or so other platforms. Meanwhile, a crankshaft is coming around that you have to go over, and you have to avoid three rings that are hanging close together and spinning. You have to go all the way back to the beginning if you fall! [rough!] The crankshaft takes out everyone standing the first time. Wipeout PlaySet is next, and [interestingly] it's all men moving on at this point. You start with everyone on individual swings and you have to swing and then jump to a spinning platform in the middle. Then, get across a few narrow platforms while avoiding several sweepers. Next, up some stairs and down a slide... but there's a windmill spinning that you have to avoid while coming off the slide in order to land on the other side and get to the finish platform. After someone gets all the way through, EVERYONE has to start all over until three people have finished. [love the camera angles on this round!] ChazHands finished first. [some great wipeouts here! particularly love the windmill ones!] TappingTonyLee finished next. CompetitiveDad gets the third spot. WipeoutZone this time: Flume of Doom (fly down a chute 7 stories high), Iron Maze-in (upright rotating maze where you have to get in on one end and come out on the other - essentially going counter-clockwise while the thing goes clockwise), Axel of Evil (prongs you have to grab on and ride, which are sticking out of a sweeper arm that rotates as it revolves!), and Great Wall of Fall (cross a wall of cylinders that stick out and suck into a wall. lots of water dripping and shooting at you, too!) ChazHands goes first. [his failures on the Axis of Evil made me laugh.] He finished at 9:00. CompetitiveDad is next. [I'm surprised at how quickly he's making his way through the Zone!] He finishes at 8:40! TappingTony screams as he flies through the air after the flume. His jumping downward inside the Iron Maze-in was a unique strategy. He's also the only one to make it through the Axis of Evil on the first try, even if it might have been just luck! He finishes at 5:34, making him the winner! [I like it when each successor finished beats the previous contestant's time... it seems to be a rare feat!]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Off season/Coming Up:

Teen Mom 2 (no idea when season 2 starts)Pregnant in Heels(Season 2?)The Unpoppables (we saw six episodes of the first season, now the show is MIA) Outrageous Kid Parties(we saw four episodes of the first season, now the show is MIA)
16 and Pregnant (season 4?)